Fall and Rise of Heroes
by Steelbeam
Summary: My ideas of what happened between the end of the classic series and the beggining of the X series, and why the classic characters disappeared. Also shows the beggining of the reploid race. Rated T for later chapters just to be safe. Cahpters 7 and 8 up
1. Chapter 1

**This story is my opinion of what happened between the games Megaman & Bass and Megaman X. It explains why the classic series of characters aren't around in X's time and will even start setting the stage for the Megaman Zero series.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Megaman or Megaman X. All characters are the copyrighted property of Capcom.**

* * *

Within an old building, multiple sounds of buster shots could be heard. Inside were three robots fighting. Two were working together, the third fought alone. The first robot had blue armor with a plasma buster on one arm. The second had jet-black armor with an unusual helmet, and also had a plasma buster on one arm. The third was taller than the other to, with gold armor, and carrying a large axe. 

"Give up yet, King?" sneered the black robot. He clearly enjoyed fighting his opponent, as though winning would bring him some great pleasure.

"Cut that out, Bass! King, surrender now or we will destroy you!" stated the blue robot.

King slowly rose. This battle had been going on for nearly an hour, and little by little, he was losing. But in spite of this, he chuckled and said, "Me? Surrender? Are your logic processors malfunctioning, Megaman? I said I would never give up, and I won't!" He lunged forward, swinging his axe. Megaman was prepared for this, however, and sidestepped the attack.

Bass wasted no time in opening fire with his buster. His fired like a machine gun, and he connected with nearly every shot. This got King's attention, and he began focusing on Bass. This gave Megaman the time he needed to charge up his own buster. When his charge was complete, he signaled Bass, who leapt out of the path of fire. King recovered from another missed swing just in time to come face-to-face with Megaman's buster. King gave one last cry as Megaman fired, blowing King's head right off his body.

Megaman relaxed for a second, but jumped aside when he heard buster fire. Turning, he saw that Bass had fired at him. "I knew you would dodge that. But it was just a warning. Our alliance in now over, and we're enemies once again. Out of respect for the fact that we're both battle damaged from this last fight, I'll let you go for now. But next time we meet, I will destroy you!" With that said, Bass turned and walked out of the building, teleporting away to his creator's lab.

Megaman hung his head slightly. "Bass, why must we fight? There's no reason to do so." Megaman simply stared at the spot Bass teleported from for several seconds, then activated his own teleport system. To him, teleporting was like being partly deactivated for about ten seconds, then awakening at his destination. This time, that point was Dr. Light's lab.

Megaman opened his eyes to see the all too familiar surroundings of the lab. Out of habit, he quickly braced himself, and not a moment too soon. From seemingly out of nowhere, a girl robot leapt onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight hug. She wore a red dress, had green eyes, and her blonde hair was held in a ponytail with a long green ribbon tied in a bow.

"Megaman, you're OK!!" screamed the girl as her hug grew tighter. Had Megaman been a human, he would nearly be dead from lack of air at this point.

"Yes, Roll, I'm fine. Now please let me go!" Megaman was trying to pull Roll's arms off his neck, but wasn't using much force, because he didn't want to hurt her. Realizing his problem, Roll let go and hopped a short distance away. Megaman braced himself again, for just as Roll moved away, another robot tackled him, succeeding in knocking him down into a sitting position. This robot looked like a dog covered in red armor.

"Hey, Rush! Were you a good boy?" Megaman asked his faithful dog as her scratched Rush's ears. A door on the far side of the room opened, and in came the first human Megaman had seen for nearly two days. He was an older man, with white hair and a white beard. With the right get-up, a young child would mistake him for Santa.

"Ah, Megaman, you're back. How did things go?"

"It went well, Dr. Light. King has been destroyed, and our truce with Dr. Wily and Bass is now over."

Dr. Light looked thoughtful for a moment. "I suppose I'm not surprised. Dr. Wily is only interested in ruling the world, and Bass is only interested in defeating you. They only worked with us to accomplish a goal of their own. Well, you don't seem to need any repairs, though some more energy would do you some good, I think. I have other matters I must attend to now, so you go get some rest."

Megaman gave Dr. Light a salute before heading to his recharge station. Dr. Light turned and headed out another door, while rush headed for his pile of dog toys. Roll sighed and hung her head. "Megaman gets to fight Wily for the safety of the world, and Dr. Light is always working on new ways to help others. Rush just plays a lot, but even he gets to help Megaman fight sometimes. But I always get left here to just clean up. It's just so unfair! If Megaman can fight, then so can I! I just want to help…"

* * *

Bass walked slowly though the lab. He was still thinking of Megaman. _'One day, I will defeat you, Megaman! I will prove to you that I am stronger than you!"_ Bass looked up, and saw a figure move past the hallway he was walking down. _"Funny, that looked like Burnerman. But I destroyed him, so it can't be. Bah, it's probably just another of the old man's worthless robot masters. Wonder what he's up to now?'_

Bass reached the door leading into the primary lab and went through. In the middle of the room stood a man who looked very similar to Dr. Light, but with a moustache instead of a beard, and his hair was much messier. Hearing the automatic door open and close, he turned to see who was there.

"Well, well, hello Bass. Back from the mission are you?"

"That King was an unworthy opponent. I've told you before, I'm the strongest, and I always will be. Only Megaman can stand up to me, and soon, even he will fall before me!"

The man chuckled. "Is that so? Why don't you save your bragging for after you beat Megaman, provided you ever do!"

Bass was clearly angry with that remark. "Listen Wily, I will defeat Megaman, even if it has to be the last thing I ever do!"

Dr. Wily shrugged, then turned his attention back to the robot on the workbench beside him. Bass came a bit closer. Had he been a softer robot, he would have gasped at what he saw. "GROUNDMAN?! Why are you repairing Groundman, Wily?"

Wily didn't look up as he answered. "I'm not just repairing him, I'm also upgrading him. I think King was onto something when he rebuilt the other robot masters. So now, I'm choosing the eight that I think were the best, and rebuilding and upgrading them."

Bass closed his eyes and placed one hand on his forehead. If he were a human, one would think he had a headache. "Why do you bother with those failures, old man? Upgrading them might let them last longer, but in the end, Megaman will still destroy them all again."

"True. But this time, their purpose is not to defeat Megaman. They are just to cause trouble to keep him busy while I finish my greatest creation!"

Bass snatched Wily by his collar and yanked him so they were face-to-face. "What do you mean, 'greatest creation'? I'm the best you could ever make, and you did it by accident!" he growled.

Wily slid out of his lab coat to free himself from Bass's grip. "Again true, but I've learned from my mistakes. And right now, I'm building a new robot with a new power source. When it's done, it will be more powerful than you and Megaman combined!"

Bass turned and begin to walk out of the lab, dropping the lab coat as he did. He turned his head and called over his shoulder, "I'll believe it when I see it!" After leaving the lab, Bass slammed his fist into the wall so hard it left a dent. _'Wily, just give it up. I'm your best, and I always will be. You're nothing but an old fool now. You should just lie down and be done with it.'_

Meanwhile, Wily was giving the now finished robot masters their jobs. _'I can't fail this time. These robot masters will provide all the time I need to finish. Then, my new robot can destroy Megaman, and while he's at it, he can destroy Bass, too!'_

* * *

**I already have more chapters ready to go for this story, but I'll wait for some reviews to see if it's worth it. Please R&R, but no flames, as this is my first story on the site.**


	2. Chapter 2

**OK, I got some reveiws, which tells me people are reading this story, so here's chapter two.**

**Disclaimer: I don'y own Megaman or Megaman X. All characters belong to Capcom.**

* * *

Megaman and Roll were playing fetch with Rush. Megaman was just about to throw the stick when a loud wailing began. "The alarm? Wily's at it again already?" Megaman rushed into the teleport room and checked the screen. It read two targets causing trouble in the downtown area. The teleporter was already set with the coordinates, so Megaman jumped onto the pad. "Roll, keep an eye on Rush! I'll be back soon!" Roll nodded, though she was upset that once again, Megaman got to go fight Wily while she was left here. 

As soon as Megaman awoke in the downtown area, he armed his buster and began scanning. His readout indicated that one target was airborne, the other on the ground. But he'd need to see the enemies to get any more info. Rushing around the corner, he raised his buster to aim at the flying target. However, he hesitated when he realized who it was.

"Alright! Look who came to play!" Megaman brought his gaze down to see who addressed him, and his jaw dropped. "Aww, what's the matter, mega-dweb? Aren't ya happy to see me again?"

"Burnerman?! But how? I saw Bass destroy you!"

"I guess the doc had more use for me. But that's not important. I have my orders, and I'm going to follow them. Let's get cookin'!" Burnerman rushed Megaman, readying one of his flame torches. Megaman easily jumped out of harm's way, or at least, so he thought. In the middle of his jump, something grabbed each of his shoulders. Looking up, he saw that he was being carried within the claws on the other robot master's feet.

"Didn't anyone ever teach that it's impolite to interrupt?"

"Shademan, you let me go right now!"

"Well, if you insist." Megaman had no time to change his mind before Shademan threw him to the ground. He slightly caught himself, reducing the damage he took, though it still hurt quite a bit. _'This isn't good! I'm outnumbered, and they're stronger than last time!' _Just then a slight beeping sound got Megaman's attention. It was his scanning unit, it had the info he wanted. He quickly called up and read the display.

TARGET ONE: SHADEMAN

SPECIALTY: FLYING

ELEMENT: SOUND

WEAKNESS: TRACKING

TARGET TWO: BURNERMAN

SPECIALTY: TRAPS

ELEMENT: FIRE

WEAKNESS: SOUND

Megaman gave a small smile. _'OK, so Burnerman's weak against Shademan's weapon. Maybe I can get Shademan to accidentally hit Burnerman.'_

* * *

Dr. Light turned back to his worktable. On it lay a robot that looked similar to Megaman, only it was taller and had a red gem in the front of its helmet. Dr. Light hit a small button, and the robot stirred, activating for the first time. It's eyes opened, beginning to search the room slowly. "Hello, X." said the doctor. The robot turned to face him. 

"Who are you?" it asked, seeming unsure of itself.

"I am Thomas Light, and I created you, X."

"X? You called me X. Is that my name?"

"Yes, it is a variable that represents limitless potential. You see, you are a new type of robot that is capable of thinking, feeling and worrying on your own. But you are far from complete. I'm going to shut you down again so I can finish your construction, all right?"

X nodded, and Dr. Light pressed the button once more, causing X to shut down. As the doctor turned to gather some parts and tools, he stopped for a moment to cough. _'It's getting worse. If I don't work quickly, I may not finish. But how will I ever tell Megaman and Roll?'_

* * *

Megaman rolled along the ground, having failed for the third time to get Shademan to hit Burnerman. And with each attempt made, he just barely avoided taking serious damage himself. Burnerman came charging at him, his fingers covered in flames. Megaman barely jumped away in time, only to get scooped up by Shademan again. 

"Care for another fall?" teased the vampire like robot. Megaman didn't respond, instead, he raised his buster, which he had fully charged by now. He fired a point blank shot into Shademan's torso, causing him to drop the blue bomber. Megaman was ready to hit the ground, and when he did, he quickly spun and fired three more shots at Shademan as he too hit the ground.

Megaman raised his arm to shield his eyes as Shademan's energy core overloaded and exploded. Rushing up to what was left of the former robot master, he placed his buster against the arm. His scanner gave him a new readout.

TARGET DESTROYED: SHADEMAN

WEAPON DATA COPIED: CRASH NOISE

INFO: THIS SOUND ELEMENT WEAPON CAN BOUNCE OFF AN OBJECT ONCE WITHOUT DISENTIGRATING. IT CAN BE CHARGED TO PRODUCE A LARGER SOUND WAVE THAT DOES MORE DAMAGE BUT WON'T BOUNCE.

"There you are! What the…Shademan?! You little punk, I'll destroy you!!" Burnerman came rushing at Megaman, and this time his entire body was covered in flames.

"Try this on for size!" replied Megaman, as his armor changed to a purple color. He aimed his buster and fired two shots, one slightly to the side and one straight at his target. The first bounced off a wall, causing both to hit at the same time. Burnerman screamed as the force threw him back. Before he could react, Megaman fired a charged shot that hit him squarely in the torso. His energy core also overloaded, finishing him off. Megaman walked up and touched his buster to what was left of Burnerman's arm, getting another readout.

TARGET DESTROYED: BURNERMAN

WEAPON DATA COPIED: BURNER WAVE

INFO: THIS WEAPON FIRES A WAVING BLAST OF FLAMES. THE BLAST CAN BE CONTINUOSLY FIRED FOR NON-STOP ATTACK.

Megaman stopped to recompose himself while reverting his armor back to its usual blue color. After feeling satisfied that the robot masters were down for the count, he activated his teleporter. But it failed to complete its process, meaning he couldn't teleport out for some reason.

"Well, well, look who came to stop the big, bad robots." Megaman's eyes widened. _'That voice! No, it can't be! Not right now!'_ He slowly turned to see jet-black armor.

"Bass! What are you doing here?"

"What else? I came to defeat you! I told Wily those old heaps of junk wouldn't be good enough, and how surprising, they weren't! If one wants something done, one should do it himself. Prepare to meet your end, Megaman!"

Bass leapt forward, firing his buster as he did so. Megaman slid out of the way, returning fire. Round after round was exchanged, but every time one of them was hit, he immediately hit the other. As usual, it was a battle that would go nowhere fast. Bass had Megaman beat according to their specs, but somehow had always lost when they fought. And it was looking like this would be no exception.

This battle lasted for nearly three hours, a new record for the two. And it's conclusion was about the same as always. Megaman barely won over Bass, who huffed away, threatening that he'd be back. Megaman sighed hard, these fights with Bass were getting old. But Bass insisted on fighting, determined to prove himself stronger than the blue bomber. But unless something changed, the battle would never be over, because they were so evenly matched.

* * *

Bass walked angrily down the hall, muttering to himself. He'd been forced to retreat again. Why did he always lose? He had greater power, higher speed, better defense, everything was in his favor, yet he always lost. 

"Well, looks like someone lost again." commented Wily as he came around a corner. He then gave a small shriek as he jumped aside to avoid the blast Bass fired near him.

"Shut it, old man! I don't have the time or patience to put up with you right now. Besides, shouldn't you be working on whatever worthless project you've got going?"

"It's not worthless! I should have programmed you with less sarcasm! You may not believe me now, but soon enough, you will be humbling yourself in front of my newest creation! It will make your power look like a tiny spark."

"Oh please, just give it up already Wily. I told you, I'll believe it when I see it, which I'm sure will be never. All you ever make is junk! I'm the only thing you ever made right, and it's only because you got lucky! So just give it a rest already!" With that said, Bass turned into what, as a robot, was his room.

Wily stood looking at the now-closed door with a scowl for several seconds before moving on. _'Let that pompous robot think what he wants. I'll still get the last laugh. And he who laughs last laughs best.'_ The mad scientist then began his annoying, high-pitched evil laugh.

* * *

_'There, that should do it.' _Dr. Light smiled as he looked over X, who was now complete. It had taken many months of hard work to finish, but at last it was done. He had only one major task left now…introducing X to the others. He reached down and pushed the button once again. X stirred, coming to life once more. 

"Oh, good morning Dr. Light. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you for asking. X, I have completed your construction. Why don't you try standing?" X sat up, turning so his feet hung off the table. He then pushed himself up, taking a moment to look himself over. Dr. Light smiled and said, "Now, if you'll wait here, I'll call your brother and sister down to meet you."

"Brother and sister?" X asked, completely confused.

"Yes, you are but one robot that I have built. Now, I will introduce you to the others." Dr. Light turned and headed up the stairs, leaving X to gather his newfound thoughts. He arrived in the main lab just as Megaman arrived back from the city. "Megaman? Where were you?"

Megaman turned and smiled. "Wily sent two robot masters into downtown, and I had to stop them."

"He's back at it already, eh? Well, we can worry about that later. Do you know where Roll is?"

"Right here!" she sang out as she entered the room, followed by Rush.

"Ah, good. Both of you come with me, there's someone I'd like you to meet." He led them back downstairs, where X still stood waiting. Both Megaman and Roll were amazed at the sight of him.

"Dr. Light, who is that? It looks kinda like Megaman." said Roll.

Dr. Light smiled and held up one hand, indicating to the new robot. "This is Megaman X, just X for short. He is a new type of robot that can think, feel, and worry all on his own."

"He's a replacement for me?" asked Megaman, sounding hurt.

"Not at all. X is merely another member of the family. X, This is Megaman, and that's Roll, your brother and sister."

X stepped forward, shaking hands with Megaman. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Dr. Light has told me about all you've done for the city. Seeing as how we share the same name, I only hope I can live up to the reputation you've given it."

Megaman gave a smile and nodded. He couldn't help but think how weird it was that X was his younger brother, yet stood a head taller than him. Dr. Light seemingly cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "I'm glad you all had the chance to meet. Now then, Megaman, please take Roll and go back upstairs. I need to speak with X alone for a minute." Megaman nodded and headed out, Roll slowly following.

X turned to face his creator. "What's wrong doctor? What do you need to speak with me about?"

Dr. Light sighed. "X, you are a wondrous creation, years ahead of your time. I fear that people are not yet ready to accept you. So, I'm going to seal you away for awhile, until such a time as they are ready." X seemed stunned at these words, but nodded. Dr. Light went back into the workroom, with X sadly following.

* * *

Wily chuckled to himself. _'So very close. When this robot is finished, nothing will stop me! And with six robot masters left, Megaman will never make it here in time!'_

"What's this?" Wily jumped, turning to face the speaker, who happened to be Bass.

"Stop sneaking up on me like that! As for what this is, it's my new robot."

Bass took and angry glace at the worktable. "THIS? This stupid, girlie-looking robot is your greatest creation? You really have lost it, old man."

"Laugh while you can. Once this robot destroys Megaman, we'll see whose laughing then." Bass sneered and turned to leave the room. _'I have far more important things to worry about. Besides, that robot can't defeat Megaman if I do it before it's complete.'_

* * *

**OK, there's chapter two. A few things may seem to not make sense yet, but they will. I'll be waiting for more reviews before posting chapter three.**


	3. Chapter 3

**OK, here's the third chapter. More are ready to go, I'll upload the next one as soon as this one appears on the site.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Megaman or Megaman X. They are the property of Capcom.**

* * *

Megaman was sitting on the couch going through a magazine when the alarms went off again, causing him to jump. Sighing, he went to the teleport station and checked the read-out. _'Whoa, three targets. Wily isn't wasting any time. But what is he up to? Well, I'll worry about that later.'_

This time, the location was deep in a forest, within a small clearing. He put his scanners into info mode and began searching. A rustling in the bushes got his attention, and out stepped the robot masters, acting surprisingly calm. He got his readout almost immediately.

TARGET ONE: SEARCHMAN

SPECIALTY: CAMOFLAGE

ELEMENT: TRACKING

WEAKNESS: ELECTRIC

TARGET TWO: CUTMAN

SPECIALTY: NONE

ELEMENT: METAL

WEAKNESS: ICE

TARGET THREE: FREEZEMAN

SPECIALTY: NONE

ELEMENT: ICE

WEAKNESS: FIRE

Cutman was the first to speak. "Well, look who came to cut in on our fun."

"Time to chill out, Megaman!" shouted Freezeman as he sent a block of ice sledding toward the blue bomber. Megaman easily jumped out of it's way, realizing his mistake too late. While he was in mid-air, Searchman had fired a missile that hit him in the gut. As he recovered from the blow, his armor changed to red as he readied the burner wave weapon. His plan seemed simple enough; destroy Freezeman, then use his weapon to destroy Cutman, leaving only Searchman.

But this proved rather difficult. These robot masters were working together, and doing it well. Freezeman knew Megaman had the burner wave, so he was fighting from the back, where the weapon's short range couldn't reach. Searchman, as the best defended, was keeping Freezeman covered while launching missiles. And Cutman, as the most agile, was fighting him up close. Between the scissors, ice chunks, and missile volleys, Megaman had his hands full with dodging, almost completely unable to get in an attack.

Megaman had changed back to his own weapon, it was better than the range limit the others had. His chances to fire were few and far between, but he never missed even one. He got a few shots into both Cutman and Searchman, but still hadn't hit Freezeman. And to make matters worse, he had taken a couple of missile and scissor hits, only minor damage, but still not good.

A new opportunity opened, and he fired a readied charge shot right into Searchman. It wasn't as effective as he would have liked, but better than nothing. It also set off one of the missiles Searchman had just fired, giving him an idea. He had to spend several seconds dodging while charging another shot. Searchman opened his chest compartment, revealing several racks of standard missiles. Megaman fired right at them, hoping to set them all off at once. But Searchman fired sooner than he calculated, barely avoiding what would have otherwise been a fatal blow.

The three robot masters then did the last thing Megaman expected…a combination attack. Freezeman threw a large chunk of ice upward while Searchman armed more missiles. Cutman threw his scissor at the ice, shattering it, causing the shards to fly toward Megaman, right as Searchman fired another volley of seeker missiles. The ice wasn't really having a damaging effect, but it diverted the blue bomber's attention, causing him to be hit by the missiles. He was knocked flat on his face, and was slow to recover.

_'This is hopeless! I cant's get in enough hits to stop them, and that took out a big chunk of my health. What can I do?'_ Even as he wondered, he saw that another combo attack was headed his way. He braced for the missiles, and heard them impact, though he felt nothing. Then he heard a familiar whistle.

Looking up, he saw another robot standing in front of him. It looked like him, but with a gray body, and his helmet, boots, and gloves were red. He wore a yellow scarf around his neck, and his eyes were hidden behind a visor. He had an arm-mounted buster, and carried a shield, which was held out and must be what the missiles had hit. The robot turned to Megaman and asked, "You OK, brother?"

"Protoman! Am I glad to see you!" Megaman got back into a ready position as Protoman turned to the robot masters.

"Three on one? Is that the only way you guys can win? Hope you don't mind me evening the odds." There was no time for a reply before he unleashed his own charge shot, impacting the inner sides of Searchman's two heads. Both were blown apart, and the remaining part fell to the ground. Now it was a fair, two on two battle.

Protoman knew Megaman had the advantage over Freezeman, so he rushed Cutman. Megaman ignored Searchman, switching back to the burner wave as he charged his target. Freezeman began to panic, firing icy blasts almost non-stop. But the flames of Megaman's chosen weapon melted each one before it hit. Freezeman watched in horror as Megaman came face to face with him, firing the flames at point blank. As his vision blurred, he cursed his lose, then fell.

Meanwhile, Protoman was having no trouble with Cutman. The scissor wasn't strong enough to piece Protoman's shield, which he lowered only when he was firing. Cutman attacked repeatedly as though it would eventually do some good, but to no avail. Another charge shot was the last thing he saw.

With all three robot masters down, Megaman claimed his prizes.

TARGET DESTROYED: SEARCHMAN

WEAPON DATA COPIED: HOMING SNIPER

INFO: THIS WEAPON FIRES SEEKER MISSILES. THEY CAN BE CONFIGURED TO TRACK DIFFERENT SOURCES.

TARGET DESTROYED: FREEZEMAN

WEAPON DATA COPIED: FREEZE CRACKER

INFO: THIS WEAPON FIRES AN ICE PROJECTILE. UPON CONTACT, IT SPLITS AND SENDS OUT SMALL PIECES IN MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS.

TARGET DESTROYED: CUTMAN

WEAPON DATA COPIED: ROLLING CUTTER

INFO: A SCISSOR-LIKE PROJECTILE THAT FLIES LIKE A BOOMERANG IN A RISING THEN FALLING ARC. ABLE TO CUT THROUGH MOST NON-METAL SUBSANCES, AND A FEW METAL ONES.

"Thanks for your help, Protoman." said Megaman as he rose. But when he turned around, he saw that he was alone. That didn't surprise him, though. Such had always been Protoman's way. He showed up right when Megaman really needed him, only to vanish before thanks could even be offered.

Megaman shook his head. _'Brother, why won't you come live with us? Dr. Light seems really worried about you.'_ He took a look around to ensure there were no more enemies here, then teleported out.

* * *

Bass stirred from his sleep. His small sleep pod opened, allowing him to get out. This was his room, though a human would probably call it a closet. Just enough room for his pod, Treble's pod, and a few shelves, all of which were empty.

The other pod opened, and a purple lion-like robot came out. Bass gave a small smile. "Morning, Treble. Sleep well?" The canine companion of Bass barked as a yes. Bass exited his room, Treble close behind him. The sleep cycle had restored Bass to full power, and he was feeling anxious to use it.

As he headed to the teleport pad, he noticed Wily still hard at work. Bass said nothing, but he did close his eyes and shake his head. Reaching his destination, he powered the pad up. He then began to run a radar search. He was looking for the robot master Wily sent out just before he returned. The search settled on two possible spots, meaning two robot masters were out, but in different locations. He picked one and hoped onto the pad, Treble following suit.

* * *

"Morning, Megaman!" called Roll as he entered the lab.

"Good morning, Roll. Where is Dr. Light?"

"Right here, actually." Megaman looked the other way and saw his creator busy with a screen. He walked over to the doctor's side, checking the data as well.

"Dr. Light, What is this?"

"Well, it's a power station. But it was supposed to be shut down. Yet there's still power being sent out. And I think Wily may have something to do with it. So, I'm trying to see if the sensors can pick up any robots in the area."

Megaman thought for a moment. "Are you scanning for just Wily's robot signature? Because he revived Cutman, who had your robot signature."

Dr. Light seemed surprised, and flipped a couple of switches. A blinking dot appeared onscreen. "You were right, Megaman. It is one of my old robots. From these readings, it looks like Bombman." Megaman groaned. Bombman had been a real pain years ago, with modern tech he'd most likely be as bad or worse.

Megaman slowly worked his way through the building. The small hallways were full of turns, all of which were perfect for an ambush. But when he came out the back exit, he still had no lock on Bombman's location. He began a system diagnostic, wondering if his sensors were malfunctioning.

"Bombs!" Shortly after that cry, Megaman felt the ground shake because of an explosion. Hurrying to the side of the building, he found a large crater. On the other side stood Bombman. "Hey, it's my old bro, Megaman! Did you come to have some fun with my explosives?"

"Hardly. Those bombs of yours are dangerous. And apparently, they've been upgraded. Which means I'm gonna have to stop you from using them!"

Bombman laughed. "You think this is good? You should of come the day before yesterday. I had some big boom-booms then! But these oughta be enough to deal with you!"

Megaman slid to one side to avoid the tossed bomb. Reading Bombman's attacks was easy enough, it was avoiding the large blasts that could be a problem. About three missed bombs later, he got his read-out.

TARGET ONE: BOMBMAN

SPECIALTY: NONE

ELEMENT: EXPLOSIVE

WEAKNESS: METAL

_'Just like old times.'_ thought Megaman as his armor became grey. He had the rolling cutter ready, and was hoping to end things quickly. Bombman threw another bomb, and Megaman launched a cutter at it. The blade split the bomb in two, which should have rendered it useless. So Megaman was unprepared for when each piece exploded, one on each side of him.

"How'd you like that? My bombs can't be stopped so easily anymore, Megaman. Here, try another!" Bombman launched 2 bombs this time, forcing Megaman to evade them. Clearly, there was no point in aiming at the explosives, so his intention was to watch for an opening to hit Bombman directly. One came almost right away, and he fired another cutter. It only nicked Bombman's arm, but it was enough to knock the bomb he was holding out of his hand. He was airborne when hit, and as the bomb came down, it went through a window into the power station. When it went off, several explosions followed it.

Bombman turned to the window and just stood there, staring. Megaman wasn't sure what to do, no robot master had ever just stopped in the middle of a fight before. Bombman slowly turned around, his face full of anger. "YOU IDIOT!! Do you know what you just did?! Dr. Wily was gonna use this station to power his new saucer and his new robot! Now you've ruined it!"

"So what? Wily is only interested in taking over the world. So if I just did something that stops him, then it's for the best. Besides, nobody cares." Megaman replied.

"That's a bit harsh. I, for one, care. Besides, haven't you figured it out by now that what others think doesn't matter in the end?"

"What do you mean?"

Bombman folded his arms. "I mean that what others think has nothing to do with why we fight. Tell me, Megaman, why are you attacking me?"

"What are you talking about? You attacked me first."

"True, but other than that, why?"

Megaman lowered his buster. "Because it's the right thing to do."

"Bingo. But what you've failed to realize is that for us, right and wrong really have no meaning. You say what you're doing is right, but that's only because Dr. Light programmed you to think that way. And I think what I'm doing is right, but that's because Dr. Wily programmed me that way. And because our views on what's right conflict, we fight. We both attempt to win over the other to further what we think is right. So, if you think about it, we're pretty much the same."

"Don't say that!! I'm nothing like you, or the other robot masters, or Bass, and certainly NOT like Wily! You may be right about our views on what's right, but that's where our similarities end. You further your means by destroying whatever gets in your way, while I only stop those who start such actions." Megaman had his buster up again, ready to fire.

Bombman chuckled. "Is that so? Then why are you here? I didn't cause any trouble until _after _you arrived. You came here intending to stop me regardless of what I was or wasn't doing, am I right?"

Megaman hesitated, closing his eyes for a second. _'Is that true? Would I have attacked him even without being attacked?'_

Bombman made a sound similar to when a human clears their throat. "Tell you what, Megaman. If you really meant what you said, then prove it. I'm gonna turn around and walk away. If you shoot, you really are just like me. Otherwise, you are different."

Megaman started to fire, but stopped himself. He couldn't just let Bombman leave, but he was right. If he fired now, he really would be acting just like Bombman. After several seconds, Bombman turned around and said something. His voice was too low to hear, but Megaman was able to read his lips. He had said 'sucker'. Too late he noticed the small bomb at his feet. It exploded, sending him flying. While in mid-air, another bomb hit him, knocking him back down.

Bombman laughed. "You're too easy, Megaman! And you should know better than to close your eyes while facing down an opponent." Megaman hit the ground with his fist. That must've been when Bombman placed the bomb by his feet. He stood up, raising his buster.

"Bombman, we are a little more alike than I admitted. You're not the only one who can lay a trap." Bombman's face went blank, and he spun around. Too late he saw the cutters coming right at him. Each one hit one of his shoulders, slicing his arms off. Without his arms, he couldn't throw bombs. Megaman lowered his buster and said, "Now come with me. I'm taking you back to Dr. Light."

"Never. NEVER! I'll show you!" Bombman materialized a bomb three times his size. Megaman's eyes widened, a bomb like that must've been what created the crater nearby. "Don't cry now!" shouted Bombman as he kicked the explosive. Megaman tried hitting it, but the cutters bounced off. He jumped to the side and hit the ground rolling. Even so, he just barely avoided become part of the second crater that formed when the bomb exploded.

Megaman saw that Bombman had fallen on his back and couldn't get up. Apparently, he also couldn't see where he was, because he was kicking his bombs in an erratic manner. Megaman sighed, and fired another cutter. This one slashed through Bombman's torso. With his head held low, he slowly walked over to one of the severed arms and placed his buster on it.

TARGET DESTROYED: BOMBMAN

WEAPON DATA COPIED: HYPER BOMB

INFO: THIS WEAPON ALLOWS THE CREATION OF A BOMB THAT CAN BE THROWN. THIS MODEL OF BOMB WAS DESIGNED FOR MINING USE.

Megaman stood there for several seconds, staring sadly at Bombman. He started to walk away, but hadn't taken even three steps before stopping again. He could tell someone was behind him, and he didn't need to turn around to know who it was. "Go away Bass. I don't want to fight you."

"Well that's just too bad, isn't it? You know, for someone who claims to hate fighting, you sure are good at it."

Megaman turned, his armor returning to blue. He stared straight at Bass with a look that could almost kill. "Just because I _can _fight doesn't mean I _want_ to. Besides, just what do you hope to accomplish by fighting me?"

Bass sneered. "I already told you. I intend to beat you, thus proving I'm the stronger robot. No, the _strongest_ robot!"

"And what then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Let's say you do beat me. Then what? What would you have left to accomplish? What meaning would your life have after that?"

Bass started to reply, but stopped. His mind was moving at light speed. _'I never stopped to think about that before. Defeating Megaman would prove I'm the strongest, but then, what would I do? Would I try to rule the world like Wily wants? Or would I go insane from not having a worthy opponent anymore?'_

Megaman could see that Bass was actually thinking things over, a rare thing indeed. Not wishing to be caught up in another battle, he activated his teleporter. Bass took several seconds before realizing Megaman was gone, which upset him slightly. But he just couldn't seem to find the desire to go after his rival, so he teleported out as well.

* * *

**Some ideas here I thought were worthy of being pointed out, like a robot's view of what's right. And be prepared to see a lot more of this 'new side' of Bass. And for those of you who are big on 'Megaman vs. Bass', your wish will be filled next chapter. Please R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Megaman or Megaman X. All characters are the property of Capcom.

* * *

**

Dr. Wily smiled. Reaching for a control panel, he flipped a switch. A robot near him activated, though it didn't move. It was mostly red, with white and a little black, and had long blonde hair. "Ah, Zero. My masterpiece, you are finally finished. You should already know what to do. I want you to eliminate Megaman, for he is my greatest enemy. Now go, destroy him, that's an order!"

The red robot began to move, but just as it did, it shut down again. Frustrated, Wily checked the read-outs again. "Ah, still not enough power in your main battery. Well, I've waited this long. A couple more hours won't hurt…heh, heh."

* * *

"I've got it!"

"Got what, Dr. Light?" Asked Roll as she leaned to look over his shoulder.

"I was able to use the power station's energy readings to determine the location Dr. Wily's new base is at."

"Really?" Both Dr. Light and Roll jumped, turning to face Megaman as he walked up. "Sorry, I just got back. Didn't mean to scare you guys. Dr. Light, did you say you know where Wily is?"

"Yes, I do. Here, see for yourself. Looks like he's using the lab from before the Wily Wars began."

"Wow, that's going back a ways. So, he decided to return to where it all started. Maybe that's where it can all end, too. Dr. Light, please enter the coordinates into the teleport pad."

"You're going right now? Well, if you're sure you're ready, then I won't stop you. There, that should do it. Megaman, be careful, alright?" Megaman nodded, then hopped onto the pad. After he left, Dr. Light began to leave the lab, but stopped, having a violent cough attack.

Roll rushed to his side. "Dr. Light, are you alright? You sound sick."

He shook his head. "No, no, I'm fine Roll. Just a scratchy throat. I'll be al…alri…" his sentence was cut short as he fell to the floor, unconscious.

Roll panicked. "Dr. Light?! DR. LIGHT!! Rush, help me!"

* * *

"WARNING! INTRUDER ALRET!"

"Already?! You're as fast as ever, Megaman." Dr. Wily pushed the button for an intercom system. "Groundman, Clownman, we have a guest. Keep him busy, I need more time."

"Yes, Dr. Wily." replied two voices. Wily turned to his main monitor. _'I'll just keep an eye on what's going on.'_ Meanwhile, elsewhere in the base, another robot heard the announcement and smiled. _'Looks like you're trespassing, Megaman. And you owe me a fight.'

* * *

_

Megaman moved through Wily's base slowly, his buster armed and charged. He entered the next room, surprised to not see any of Wily's bots. But his sense of panic rose when the alarms suddenly turned off. That could only mean Wily knew where he was. As confirmation, Wily's voice suddenly filled the room via intercom.

"Greetings, Megaman. I'd love to come fight you personally, but I'm very busy at the moment. But don't worry, I've sent some representatives in my place. Farewell!" As soon as the intercom shut off, the ground started shaking. Megaman slid to one side just in time to avoid the underground entrance of a robot. Another bot came swinging down from somewhere near the ceiling.

"Hey, Megaman! We've been asked to entertain you for awhile!" The robot with extending arms announced. The other had several drills in its body, and had readied itself, but kept silent.

TARGET ONE: GROUNDMAN

SPECIALTY: UNDERGROUND MOVEMENT

ELEMENT: EARTH

WEAKNESS: EXPLOSIVE

TARGET TWO: CLOWNMAN

SPECIALTY: EXTENDING ARMS

ELEMENT: ELECTIC

WEAKNESS: EARTH

"I won't let you stand in my way." Megaman's armor became green, the hyper bomb ready for use. He materialized one and threw it at Groundman.

"Too slow!" announced Clownman as he extended his arm, catching the bomb and throwing it to the side. Megaman threw another bomb, but with similar results. Groundman wasn't moving, and Clownman wasn't attacking. Megaman stopped firing and saw that both were now staying still.

_'They aren't trying to fight me. They're just trying to stall me. I need to get past them quick. But this defense only tactic of theirs is effective. Wait, how did I beat Clownman before? That's right, his arms got tangled together. Wonder if that'd work again?'_ Megaman made some changes to the hyper bomb so they would be on a time delay, then materialized six at once. He began throwing them at Groundman as fast as he could.

Clownman swatted all six away, just like he figured would happen. "Boy, slow learner. As long as I'm here, your bombs are useless!" laughed Clownman.

"Check again, laughing boy. Groundman wasn't my real target."

"What do you mean?" Clownman then tried to retract his arms, only to be hit it the head. Looking up, he saw that his arms were intertwined. "Not again!"

Another bomb went flying, causing Groundman to finally move. Activating his drills, he dove into the ground. Alas, Megaman anticipated this move. He had already thrown one final bomb, which followed Groundman into his hole. Megaman's armor returned to blue automatically, as he was now out of hyper bomb ammo.

The last bomb went off, not only badly damaging Groundman, but causing him to be sent flying. Megaman fired a charged shot that hit him squarely in the torso, destroying him.

TARGET DESTROYED: GROUNDMAN

WEAPON DATA COPIED: SPLIT DRILLER

INFO: FIRES A LARGE DRILL. IT CAN BE REMOTLY ACTIVATED TO SPLIT INTO TWO SMALLER UNITS, EACH OF WHICH CAN SPLIT INTO TWO EVEN SMALLER UNITS.

Megaman turned to Clownman, who was still struggling with his arms. His armor turned brown, and he aimed at the helpless robot. He closed his eyes and looked away, then fired. After hearing Clownman's last scream, he sadly claimed his final reward.

TARGET DESTROYED: CLOWNMAN

WEAPON DATA COPIED: THUNDER CLAW

INFO: FIRES AN ELECTRICALLY CHARGED GRAPLE BEAM. CAN DEFLECT CERTAIN PROJECTILES.

As his armor returned to blue, Megaman slowly left the room. _'I shouldn't have done that. He had no way to protect himself. But if I hadn't, he would have caused more problems.'_ The next room was a dome, and as soon as he entered, the door behind him shut.

A door at the top of the room opened, and two beams of light passed through, one brown and one purple. Upon hitting the ground, they materialized into Bass and Treble. "You're trespassing, Megaman. This is Wily's lab. Leave now or I'll destroy you."

Megaman was shocked. Bass had never offered him a choice of whether or not to fight. But he had to move on, so really, there was but one choice. "I have to stop whatever Wily's up to. So if you won't get out of my way, then I have no choice but to fight you."

"That's what I figured you say. Call your dog. Treble, come on!" Treble leapt atop Bass, and they were covered by a bright light. When it faded, they had become a single robot. Bass now had extra armor, as well as wings that would let him fly.

Megaman was about to send a signal when a red beam of light entered the room, materializing into Rush, who began barking frantically. "Rush, there'll be time to talk about whatever it is later. Use the super adapter." Rush hung his head and whimpered, then jumped above Megaman. His parts shifted, and he came down, causing another glow of bright light. Megaman's outer armor was now red, with jets on the back for flying.

Bass snapped his fingers and the door in the ceiling closed. "We're sealed in now. No obstacles to hide behind, no corners to get stuck in, and no one can get in or out. A fair fight. Now show me what you've got, Blue Bomber!"

Megaman activated the rolling cutter and fired. Much to his surprise, Bass fired a freeze cracker shot, freezing the cutter, which fell to the floor. Megaman gave his rival a confused look. "You copied Freezeman's weapon?"

"Yes." Replied Bass, as he rose higher. "Not just his, though. I knew you'd try copied weapons for this fight, so I copied all eight myself. Surely you didn't think fighting was all I did each time I followed you." Bass fired a homing sniper missile, and Megaman countered with a thunder claw beam, frying the missile.

"I guess the copied weapons won't do either of us any good then."

Bass thought for a second. "I guess not. Only standard busters, then?"

Megaman was taken aback. "You're…asking?"

"I said I wanted a fair fight. In truth, I'm not fighting you to prove I'm stronger. I'm doing it because you're trespassing in Wily's, and my, home."

"Alright then. Busters only. May the best bot win."

"Likewise." Bass swooped across the room, firing his rapid buster. Megaman flew out of harms way, keeping his attention focused on his opponent. _'He's changed. Is it what I said earlier?'_

Meanwhile, Bass wasn't trying to hit Megaman just yet. He was waiting for a clear shot. _'It's funny. I'm only doing this fight to try and make Megaman leave. And that's enough for me. But I don't feel like I've grown weak. Rather, I seem to be feeling a new power I never felt before. Maybe this will be my fight.'

* * *

_

**OK, sorry, I forgot where this chapter ended. The big Megaman vs. Bass fight will be next chapter, I promise! There's more ready to post, but I'd really like some more reviews before I continue. So, R&R please! One or two more is all it'll take to get me to post another chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry it took so long, here's chapter 5. Enjoy the bit of Megaman vs. Bass, this will be the only one.**

**Discalimer: I don't own Megaman or Megaman X, both are the property of Capcom.

* * *

**

It was an unusually quiet day at the local hospital. For the first time since the first Wily War, there hadn't been a single person brought in today. So, the bang of the front door being shoved open could be heard throughout the building. The staff in the front room were amazed at the sight before them. What appeared to be a blonde girl, maybe ten to twelve years old, stood there, holding an elderly man in a lab coat above her head. Turning to the nearest doctor, she seemed ready to burst into tears. "Please help me! Something's wrong with Dr. Light!!"

The doctor gasped. "THE Dr. Light? Quickly, bring him this way!!" The girl followed him to the first room, gently setting Dr. Light onto the bed. The doctor quickly checked the vital signs. "He's alive, but just barely. I'm sorry, but I need you to wait in the reception area miss…"

"Roll. And that's ok. Just please do whatever you can." The doctor nodded, and Roll slowly left the room. As she took a seat, she gazed out the window. _'Megaman, where are you? Rush should have reached you by now.'

* * *

_

Bass and Megaman cried out as they each hit each other at point blank. Never had they had so even a match. Every hit was immediately returned, both maneuvering around the other as though this battle had been rehearsed. Both were enjoying the moment for their own reasons, and this only made them fight harder. They rushed each other again, not bothering with busters. They meet midway, hand in hand, each trying to fling the other into the wall. After several seconds, they both let go, flying back and re-arming their weapons. This time, they used their charged shots, which fired a seeker projectile. Once more, each cried out from the hits.

* * *

"That should do it." Dr. Wily smiled as he reached for a lever. Pulling it, a surge of power could be heard, heading for the red robot. It came to life again, slowly moving forward. "Now you are ready. Megaman is in a battle with Bass, so just destroy both while you're at it!"

* * *

Bass grabbed Megaman in a headlock, trying to throw him over his shoulder and toward the floor. As Megaman was tossed, He gripped Bass by the foot, redirecting his momentum to stay airborne. Megaman gave a slight smile. _'He's fighting for better reasons that he used to. He might actually beat me this time.'_

"You've gotten even better, Bass. But you'll have to try harder than that if you want to win."

"Believe me, I'm just getting started."

* * *

A scream echoed through the halls. Wily was on his knees, holding his chest, which was badly wounded. Had the shot that hit him been full power, he would already be dead. The red robot stood there, eyes glowing red, and a W mark shining inside the gem in the front of his helmet. His right arm was in buster mode, and pointed at Wily, still giving off heat.

"Wha…what do you think…you're doing?!" Wily then slumped over, losing consciousness. The robot turned to the wall and fired again, blowing a hole in the structure. He then leapt though, disappearing into the shadows of the approaching night.

* * *

Both Megaman and Bass were on their knees, trying to be the first to fire again. Suddenly, the floor rumbled and an explosion could be heard from further into the lab. Bass suddenly stood, turning in the direction the sound came from.

"That was from the main lab. Wily's still in there!"

"Bass, let's go check on Wily. We can finish this later." Bass hesitated, then nodded. He snapped his fingers again, the doors opened in response. Both combatants raced down the halls, all weariness suddenly gone. The door to the main lab wasn't working, so Bass blasted a new opening. The two began searching the room.

"There!" called Megaman, descending. He scanned Wily, and became rather solemn. "He's alive, but without medical attention, he won't be much longer."

Bass came down, just as both he and Megaman began glowing. Their partners split from them, unable to maintain the stressful link any longer. Bass cursed beneath his breath. "I haven't got enough energy left to teleport, and you must be the same."

Megaman nodded. "We'll have to do this the old-fashioned way…carry him." Bass picked Wily up from under the shoulders, while Megaman got his legs. Turning, they rushed for the nearest exit, Rush and Treble hot on their heels.

* * *

Roll sighed as she again checked the clock. Barely ten minutes had gone by since her arrival. She began to recall what happened, trying to determine what happened to Dr. Light. Her thoughts, however, were interrupted by a low, familiar whistle.

She looked out the front door to see Protoman standing there. He walked in and up to her, a serious manner present in his every move. "Roll, why are you here?"

Roll again looked ready to cry. "Something's wrong with Dr. Light!"

Protoman was taken aback. He certainly wasn't expecting that to be the answer. "What happened? Is he alright?" Roll sighed, and slowly began to recount the events from earlier that day.

* * *

Megaman and Bass had run so low on energy that they were now walking. If they were humans, they would have been panting, too. The dogs were trying to keep up, but their own energy was greatly diminished, and they were slowing down as well. Megaman gave Rush a sad, understanding look.

"Rush, wait here and regain your energy. I'll come back for you." Rush gave a small whimper, but stopped and lay down.

"Treble, please stay with Rush. You two watch out for each other." Bass softly requested. Treble gave a very small growl, then lay down next to Rush. Megaman would have given Bass a confused look, except that he couldn't while carrying Wily. "Maybe, when this is over, we can find a new road to walk."

_'Will surprises never cease? First he doesn't fight me the way he used to, then he asks for my help, now he's acting friendly?'_ "I'd like that, Bass. Hey, look! The hospital!"

* * *

"Excuse me, miss Roll. Dr. Light is awake and wants to speak with you." Roll flew past the doctor so quick he nearly fell over. Protoman offered an apology as he also raced past. When they entered Dr. Light's room, they paused. Never did they imagine that they'd ever see this sight. Dr. Light lay in bed with multiple wires hooked to him, along with a heart monitor. And he looked as though he were standing on death's doorstep.

Dr. Light saw them enter, and spoke softly, and with great effort. "Ah, Roll. And Protoman too…this is a surprise."

"Are you alright Doc?" questioned Protoman.

"I've certainly been better. Listen to me, both of you. I know I should have said something sooner, but I'm afraid that I'm suffering from an illness that I've had for awhile now. And…it's untreatable."

"What are you saying, Dr. Light?" inquired Roll.

"I'm saying…that I don't have much longer to live. Maybe two or three days at the most."

Neither Roll nor Protoman said anything. Both stood as still as statues, shocked to the core of their programming by this news. Even as they stood trying to recover, they failed to notice an odd shaped shadow pass the door.

* * *

Megaman and Bass lay Wily onto the bed of the second room of the treatment facility. The doctor began looking him over, trying to see what could be done. Bass wanted to stay in the room, but Megaman convinced him to leave silently. For nearly a full minute, they stood there, Bass seemingly in shock. Finally, a doctor came out of the room.

"He's hurt badly. It's unlikely that we can save him, but we'll do what we can." He was about to enter the room again when he did a double take. "You're Megaman, right?"

"Yes, sir."

The doctor's face turned even sadder than it already was. "You should go to the first room. We have a patient there you know…Dr. Light."

Megaman's eyes grew wide. _'Dr. Light? Here? Why? What happened?'

* * *

_

Night had fully set in by now, and it had begun to rain. Treble kept his sensors running, while Rush was in sleep mode to recover energy faster. A sound like a twig snapping was heard nearby, causing Treble to lift his head. He scanned the area, and found a heat source moving nearby. He was trying to get a better idea of what it was, when a plasma shot flew his way. Before he could react, it hit Rush, causing his energy starved system to overload, and he exploded.

The explosion sent Treble flying a short ways. He shut himself down for several seconds by activating a system reboot. When he reactivated, the energy source was gone. Treble walked over to what was left of Rush and looked at it. He had always followed his master's footsteps. Seeing Rush destroyed should have made him feel like something great had been accomplished. But the feeling it gave him was quite different.

He tried to move closer, but couldn't. One of his hind legs was now badly damaged, and useless for now. Giving the twisted pile of red metal another look, which held some sadness, he then raised his head, giving off a soft, yet clear, howl.

* * *

Roll and Protoman turned as the door opened. "Megaman, you're here!" cried Roll.

"Dr. Light, are you alright?" Megaman wasted no time is asking.

"Not completely. I need to rest now, though. Protoman, please explain everything to him."

"Sure doc. You get your rest." The three robots left the room, Megaman last. He stared at his creator for several seconds, then shut the door and walked to the waiting room. Protoman had taken a seat, his arms crossed. Megaman took a seat facing him, waiting for the explanation.

"It's a long story. But basically, Dr. Light has a disease that has reached its worst state. It can't be treated, and it's so bad that he only has three days to live, tops."

Megaman stared at the floor. _'Just three days?! No…'_

Protoman sighed. "And to think, I was just beginning to seriously think about coming to live with you guys."

Megaman jerked upright. "Now that you bring it up, why haven't you done that already?"

Protoman was silent for several seconds. "That's another long story. But I guess it is about time I explained it to you. I've lived my life on the move because I'm trying to figure out what my purpose is."

"How so?"

"I've always wondered what the point of having weapons is. And…what exactly am I?"

"I use my weapons for peace. But what do you mean by 'what you are'?"

Protoman sighed again. "You consider your weapon a tool. But you choose to have it. I was born a fighting robot. Born with a buster built into my arm. As for what I am…robots are machines that follow orders. I don't follow orders. So, what does that make me?"

Megaman was silent. He couldn't think of an answer. So Roll finally spoke up. "Does it really matter? We still think of you as our brother. And we'd really like it if you'd come home. You may have been born with a weapon, but it's your choice whether or not to use it. As for who you are, in part, you're a member of our family. Isn't that enough for now?"

Protoman started to speak, but stopped. He really had no reply for Roll's ideas. Finally, he smiled. "Maybe you're right. Thanks…sis."

Everyone suddenly noticed that Bass had entered the room. He seemed nervous. Protoman quickly rose, grabbing his shield. "What are you doing here, Bass?"

Megaman jumped up and got between Protoman and Bass. "Protoman, stop! Wily's being treated here, too. He was injured."

Protoman slowly stood down, returning to his seat. Bass gave Megaman a small nod. He then spoke. "I really want to stay here until Wily wakes up and I can see him. Megaman, would you…go get Treble…for me…please?"

Everyone stared at Bass in disbelief. _'He's asking for a favor?!'_ thought Megaman. _'Did he sound…well, not evil?!'_ pondered Protoman. _'Did he just say please?!'_ Roll puzzled. Megaman finally spoke, "Alright. I'll be back soon."

After he left, Bass fell into the seat he was using. He sat, deep in thought, until Protoman spoke to him. "Why is Wily here, exactly?"

Bass turned. "He has a major wound on his chest. And it really bothers me."

"Why?" Roll dared to venture.

"I'm no expert, but the only thing I can think of that could leave a wound like that…is a plasma buster bullet."

The room went totally silent for awhile. Protoman looked down the hallway leading to the treatment rooms. "Are you implying…that Wily was attacked by a robot?!"

* * *

Megaman was grateful for his sensors, otherwise he surely would have never found his way through the rain that was now pouring down. He finally found a heat signature, and headed towards it. He came around a corner to find Treble, who was trying to head for the hospital.

"Treble? What's wrong? And where's Rush?" Treble looked down, then popped out a holographic projector. He began to play back what his visual and audio sensors had recorded.

* * *

_Protoman entered the final room. The only real feature of it was a large clock against the back wall. He turned, looking for someone. Suddenly, a hologram of the hour and minute hands of a clock appeared, spinning to create a portal. They disappeared with a bright flash, in their place stood a robot. It was purple, with a clock on its chest, and on its head were two large bells with a striking piece between them, like from an old alarm clock._

_"Who are you?" asked the purple robot._

_"Timeman?! That accursed Light! Allowing another unfinished robot…"_

_The purple robot half-closed his eyes and spoke in a monotone voice. "I am perfection." Then he raised his hand, preparing to attack._

"Protoman!" yelled Roll, causing him to slightly jump.

_'I hate these old memories.'_ Protoman quickly turned to Roll. "What is it?"

"Sorry, just wanted to make sure you were alright. You seemed kinda spaced out. Anyways, Bass was trying to ask you something."

Bass spoke up before Roll could continue. "Yes, I was wondering what exactly is the reason you distance yourself from Light. I can tell it's not quite hate, but close to it."

Protoman looked down. "It's a bit of a long story. See, when Dr. Light built me, he left me unfinished. Namely, my nuclear reactor core."

Bass nearly jumped up. "You have a nuclear reactor?!"

"Yes, but it's not completely stable. It were to take enough damage, well…let's just say it'd be like having a nuclear missile go off. And I never figured out why Light left me with weapons when he claims to hate war."

This time, it was Roll who jerked up. "Dr. Light gave you your weapons?! But I was sure Megaman was the first he made into a fighting robot."

"Sometimes, I just don't know."

* * *

Treble gave what almost sounded like a whimper. "It's not your fault, Treble. Come on, we need to get back to the hospital. Bass is waiting for you." Megaman sadly scooped up the twisted pile of metal that severed as what was left of his companion, and began to walk back to the hospital. Treble followed, head held low.

Megaman's eyes seemed void of their usual spark. His mind was racing. _'Rush…I'm gonna miss you. You were the best dog I could ever have. I promise, if I ever find out who did this to you, I'll destroy them.'

* * *

_

"Planning to space out again?" questioned Roll.

"A little. Pieces of my past come to me, almost like a dream, when I 'space out', as you say. Maybe one day I'll see what I need to get my answers." Protoman then became silent, his mind speeding up.

_Protoman awoke in what looked like a lab. There were two men with him. One was Dr. Light, and the other was…Dr. Wily? He stood up, and both men smiled. "It would seem that it's a success!" exclaimed Dr. Light._

_Protoman began to walk, as he did, he saw that he had no armor or weapon. It was like he was designed to be a helper robot, like Roll. He reached a wall, but kept going. In the next room, something was glowing. It looked like a reactor of some kind. Protoman wasn't sure why, but he felt the need to destroy it. He could hear Dr. Light ordering him to stop, but he didn't._

_"He doesn't obey! Why not?!" screamed Dr. Wily. Dr. Light picked up a remote and pressed a button, and everything went black._

_Protoman then awoke again, it a different lab. He now had his armor and weapon. Then, he saw Dr. Wily standing there. "Ah, Protoman, I found you. Now you will help me take over the world!"_

_"I don't think so." stated Protoman in a calm voice. Wily reached for a remote, but Protoman fired at it, destroying it. Wily stormed off, cursing. He locked the door behind him, but Protoman had no trouble blasting through it. Then, everything went black again._

_Now Protoman was walking through the city. Suddenly, the city announcement monitor nearby turned on, and a man that looked like a scientist appeared on it. "Ladies and Gentlemen, your attention please. The name's Wily. The one and only, the brilliant scientist, Dr. Wily. It may seem rather sudden to you, but I've decided I'd like to take over the world! Ha-ha, ha, HA HA HA! Ahem, anyway, to begin…Dr. Light! I'll be taking your precious robots!"_

_The screen shattered as Wily rode through it in a flying saucer like vehicle. He kept laughing as he approached, but stopped upon noticing Protoman. "Who are you? Wait, I remember. I have no need for a robot that won't take orders." Everything blackened again._

_This time, Protoman saw himself catch up with Wily, just a short while before Megaman did as well. Wily opened the hatch on his saucer and faced Protoman. "If only I'd programmed you differently back then. It would've been genius! It's the only mistake I've made in my life!"_

_Protoman scoffed. "I've always wondered what it means to be born with weapons in our hands. I'm still searching, but for now, I'll use the power you gave me to rid the world of your evilness."_

_"Wha…? Why you insolent fool! I will crush you with a loud, loud crunch!" Suddenly, the door on the far side of the room opened, and in stepped Megaman. Protoman quickly turned and ran, not wanting his presence known to the blue bomber._

"THAT'S IT!!" shouted Protoman, causing Roll and Bass to jump out of their seats. "Dr. Light didn't give me weapons! Dr. Wily did!"

Roll was about to ask what he meant when the door opened. "Treble! Here, boy!" Bass knelt down as Treble walked up to him, though slowly. "What's wrong, boy?" Roll screamed, getting Bass's attention. He looked at the door to see Megaman, holding a twisted pile of metal that had red in multiple places. He slowly rose. "Megaman…is that…don't tell me that's…"

"Yes. It's Rush. He's gone." Everyone was still, unsure what to do or say to try and make Megaman feel better.

"Treble! I told you to keep him safe!" growled Bass. Megaman quickly came to the purple dog's rescue.

"Treble couldn't do anything about it. He showed me what happened. The fact that we still have him is a miracle. Whatever did this to Rush did it with one shot."

"A robot? Anything unusual about it?" asked Bass.

"Not really. Except…It looked like it had hair. Long hair, at that. Kinda hard to tell for sure in heat-sensor mode."

A doctor walked in. "Bass, Wily is awake now. He'd like to speak with you."

Bass gave an evil smile. "What a coincidence. I'd like to speak with him, too." _'Well, Wily, maybe you were right about your new robot. Time for you to tell me what its weakness is so I can stop it.'

* * *

_

**And so, the first well-known classic character bites the dust. And with Wily's new robot free to do as it will, who knows what will happen? I'll get chapter six ready to upload ASAP, so please keep R&R! There's still plenty more to come!**


	6. Chapter 6

**OK, here's chapter six. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Megaman or Megaman X, they are the property of Capcom.

* * *

**

The door to Wily's room flew open, and Bass stormed in, with Protoman and Megaman hot on his heels. "Wily, you finished that blasted bot, didn't you?"

Wily chuckled. "Straight to the point. I'd expect no less with you. Yes, it's finished. But something's wrong with it. He attacked me for no reason."

"So I was right. That wound is from a buster. But how could a robot turn on a human? I thought that was impossible."

Wily looked down, sighing. "It is for you, but not for him. If you want to know exactly why, you should talk with Dr. Light."

"I think I will." That said, Bass turned and walked out the door. Megaman followed, but Protoman remained.

"Tell me something, Wily. It was you that gave me weapons, wasn't it?"

Wily looked up at the grey and red robot. "Yes, but not your reactor. Dr. Light gave you that. He was still trying to stabilize it, that's why you were shut down when I found you. The weapons were already there, he may have intended to install them, but I beat him to it."

Protoman clenched a fist, which began to shake slightly. "So everything I've struggled with…every question about my weapons…even the belief that Light left me unfinished intentionally…IS ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!!" Protoman reached for Wily, but someone grabbed his arm. Turning, he saw that it was Roll, who shook her head disapprovingly at him. Protoman growled, then lowered his arm. "Even I couldn't harm you, even if I wanted to. Which is a good thing for you, because believe me, I want to." He then turned and left.

* * *

"I see…" Dr. Light looked down. He remained silent for several seconds before taking a deep breath. "To a robot like you, harming a human is impossible. Your programming simply won't allow it. But my newest robot, X, is capable of such an act. That's why I sealed him away."

"You sealed X away?" interrupted Megaman.

"Yes. He needs to undergo a number of diagnostics that will confirm that he won't harm a human. Unlike you, he can choose every action he takes, with no limits. His beliefs on right and wrong and his choices in life will be based on his experiences and personal convictions, just like a human. As for Wily's new robot…it sounds like he copied some of the plans for X. But he choose to activate his robot before he confirmed that it wouldn't turn against a human."

Bass crossed his arms. "That's some pretty heavy stuff. A robot that knows it shouldn't harm a human, but can if it wants. No wonder Dr. Wily called it his 'ultimate creation'. He really could tell it to do anything. Too bad it doesn't listen."

* * *

The next day, on a busy street in downtown, a young girl was walking her dog. The puppy was happy to be outside, playfully chasing butterflies, as well as certain people they passed. Suddenly, the dog began to growl, then leaped at someone, biting their leg.

"I'm so sorry, mister! Bad dog! Let him go!" The girl looked up to see that it wasn't a human, but a red robot with long blonde hair and eyes that were glowing red. Before she could react, the robot grabbed her dog and threw it to the far end of the block, right into a tree. Several nearby people stopped, unable to believe their eyes. Had the robot just taken hostile action against a living creature with no rightful reason?

The red robot slowly looked around, its mouth forming a smile that could scare even the devil himself. His right arm formed into a buster, which he used to fire a random shot into the street, not harming anyone, but doing great damage. Then, in a voice that turned the spine into an icicle, he roared out a single word into the streets. "DESTROY!!"

* * *

Megaman was sitting in the lobby once again, thinking over what he'd heard from Dr. Light. Wondering if anything good was on, he pressed the power button for the TV. It was set for the news station, and they were in the middle of the weather.

"Try channel 14." Megaman turned to see Bass. "I like some of what they play."

Megaman tried to keep from laughing. "That's a soap opera channel!"

"They have other things on, too!!" Bass said, trying to redeem his now lost dignity. Suddenly, the newsman announced a 'breaking development'.

_"This just in…a red robot has gone berserk in the downtown area! It seems to willingly be attacking humans! Its rampage started just minutes ago, yet it's already ravaged the area! And the only question everyone seems to be asking is 'where is Megaman'."_

"I'm coming, too." stated Bass as Megaman turned for the door.

"Count me in too. I could use the practice, and we don't know exactly how strong this robot is." said Protoman as he entered, having heard only part of the announcement. Megaman nodded, and they rushed out the door, Treble following suit. He wasn't about to let his master out of his sight again. Had any of the heroes looked back, they might have noticed the red blur that entered the building after they left.

* * *

Roll sat in the only chair in Dr. Light's room. Dr. Light was asleep now, so she was staying still to avoid making noise. She was just considering going to check on Dr. Wily when she noticed a figure pass the door. _'Must be one of the doctors gone to check on Wily. Then I guess there's no reason for me to go.'_ Suddenly, there was a loud scream followed by what sounded like a buster firing. Panicking, Roll leapt up and raced to Wily's room.

* * *

Dr. Wily was just beginning to go to sleep when he heard the door open. Looking up, he felt his blood chill at the sight of his unwelcome visitor. "Zero…what are doing here?"

"Dr. Wily…you are of no use to me. Time to finish what I started. Good-bye." Zero raised his arm, transforming it into a buster. Wily screamed as the red robot fired right at his head, silencing him forever.

Zero turned to leave when a girl robot ran right into him. She took one look at him, gasped, and jumped back. "You're that horrible robot Wily made! What did you do to him!?" She looked past him, and screamed. Zero gave another devilish smile.

"My data banks confirm you as Roll, the helper robot that always stays near Dr. Light. That means he's here, so I can kill him while I'm at it!"

Roll locked frightened eyes with his glowing ones, then fled to Dr. Light's room, hoping to get him out. Entering, she was stunned to see Zero already ahead of her. "Who are you?! What do you want with Dr. Light?!"

Zero laughed as he grabbed Roll by the throat, lifting her off the ground. "I am Zero. As for what I want with Light…he and Wily are the only people on this planet that could possibly come up with a way to deactivate me. So, I intend to kill them both before that happens!"

Roll screamed again as Zero used his free hand to literally tear off her left arm. Her scream awoke Dr. Light, who immediately sat up, getting Zero's attention. He threw Roll into a wall, then re-armed his buster. Dr. Light barely had time to realized what was happening before Zero fired, causing his limp body to fall onto the floor. Roll rushed up to Zero, kicking him as hard as she could.

Zero turned to her, obviously annoyed. "That was a mistake!" he roared as he grabbed her by the throat again. He proceeded to rip off her remaining limbs, one by one, then threw what remained to the floor. "Get in my way ever again, and I'll just kill you right away. But I doubt I need to worry about that." With that said, he turned and walked out, the hallway echoing with his laughter.

Roll could feel her systems losing power. The loss of her limbs had opened several power transfer circuits that were now losing the charge they carried. As her vision began to blur and change to static, she looked at the lifeless body of her creator, and softly whispered, "I'm sorry, Dr. Light. I couldn't save you. I'm…sor…ry…"

* * *

The three heroes were searching the now abandoned streets, following what seemed to be a trail within the destruction, but it kept leading them in circles. Megaman, Protoman, and Treble were still searching, but Bass had stopped, and was now occupied with his thoughts.

_'Let's see…What would I be doing about now if I were this robot? This damage doesn't seem too bad…perhaps it only wanted attention? But if so, did he want the attention of the humans…or us? Hmm…if I did this sort of thing, it would be to get Megaman to come out and fight. But this robot isn't here, so it clearly can't be to fight. So why should it want us to come out here? Bah, I don't have time for this! I should be watching Dr. Wi…'_ Bass's face became blank as he realized the answer. _'It's not after us!'_

"Megaman, Protoman, we have to get back to the hospital! I think that robot did this to lure us away so it could go after the doctors!"

That was all the blue bomber needed to hear. He rushed to keep up with Bass, who was already off and running. They were all using their acceleration systems for faster speed, allowing them to return in a portion of the time it took to get downtown. Bass reached the hospital first, using his buster to blow away the door so he wouldn't have to slow down yet. He speed down the hall while Megaman and Protoman turned to enter Dr. Light's room.

Megaman opened the door, then froze. Protoman looked over his shoulder and did the same. Megaman's knees trembled and gave out, causing him to sink into a kneeling position. Near the door was the main piece that once was Roll, with the other parts scattered about. And on the floor near the bed lay the lifeless form of Dr. Light. _'Dad…sister…no.' _Megaman remained on the floor while Protoman stepped around the corner, out of sight. _'Dad…I never got to say how sorry I am for falsely accusing you for the things Wily did. Please, forgive me. And I promise to look out for Mega.'

* * *

_

Bass burst into Wily's room, halting as soon as he did. He slowly walked over to the bed and looked at the remains of Wily, his mind racing. Treble tucked his tail between his legs and whimpered. _'Wily…I know I said you should just be done with it, but I didn't really mean like this! What am I supposed to do without you? Wily…'_

Bass lifted the lifeless body, carrying it to the door. "Come on, Treble. I need you to help me. We're going to give him a proper burial." Treble gave a small, weak bark, following his master with his head low.

As he slowly approached the door to Dr. Light's room, Megaman and Protoman came out, their arms full as well. Protoman was carrying all of Roll's parts while the blue bomber carried his creator. They exchanged glances, but no words were needed at a time like this. Upon reaching the lobby, Megaman began to struggle as he tried to add Rush's parts to his load.

Bass looked down at his partner. "Treble, help Megaman with Rush." The canine robot nodded, then walked over and picked the metal up with his mouth. They left through the hole that formerly was the front door, with Megaman in the lead. He seemed to have some idea of where he was going, so the others simply followed.

As they passed through a portion of town that still had people wandering about, they received countless stares. But then, it's not everyday you see three humanoid robots and a canine robot carrying two destroyed robots and two dead people down the streets. They eventually worked their way off the streets and into what almost seemed like a maze through a small forest. At the far end, Megaman stopped and looked around.

Bass slowly took this new sight in. This was a clearing in the center of the woods, and it was untouched by man and robot. The area had a certain sense of calmness to it, and the clearing was big enough to get plenty of light, but small enough to be viewed without having to turn one's head.

Megaman turned to the others. "I found this nearly a month ago, when we were searching for Groundman. What do you think?"

"It's perfect." replied Protoman. Bass just nodded, and Treble gave a small growl.

Megaman knelt, his armor turning brown. He modified the split driller so it stayed attached to his arm, and used it to begin digging. Bass knelt a very short distance from him, following suit. Treble stayed next to the bodies that were now lined up and waiting to be buried, and Protoman began searching for suitable tombstones. Even as this continued, a light rain began to fall.

Megaman finished his hole first. After moving over he began another. Bass took notice of this, and upon completing his hole, he moved passed Megaman and started a fourth one. By the time all the holes were dug, Protoman had hauled in three stones he had shaped into tombstones. One was quite large, the others were of an average size.

Each robot picked up the body they had brought here, and together they laid them within the holes. Each one then refilled the holes, then turned to the stones. Megaman and Bass worked together on the large one, using it for both Dr. Light and Dr. Wily. Protoman set the stone for Rush, while Megaman placed the last stone for Roll.

Bass had reconfigured his buster to fire a steady, weak laser. He was using it to inscribe something on Wily's half of the larger stone. Megaman followed suit, placing writing on the other stones and Dr. Light's half of the large one. With this completed, the four lined up to show their respect. Megaman, Bass, and Protoman armed their busters and held them high. In unison, they fired seven times.

After remaining still and silent for awhile, Megaman and Bass turned away, with Treble following. Protoman, however, walked closer to the graves to see what had been inscribed into them, starting with Rush's.

_Here lies Rush_

_Loyal and faithful companion_

_Close friend_

_May he rest in peace._

_Here lies Roll_

_Beloved sister_

_Strong of will and of heart_

_May she rest in peace._

_Here lies Dr. Thomas Light_

_Brilliant inventor_

_Beloved father_

_Lover of peace_

_Gone, but never forgotten_

_May he rest in the peace he deserves._

Protoman waited a second before moving to the last inscription. And to him, it was the most thought provoking.

_Here lies Dr. Albert Wily_

_Creator and father_

_Known to most, yet liked by few_

_Gone, and mostly forgotten_

_Yet his memory shall never die within the hearts of those he leaves behind_

_May death bring him the peace he never knew in life._

As Protoman finished the last line, the slight drizzle turned into a heavy rain. He stood there a few seconds before turning away. As he slowly walked out of the clearing, he turned to look into the sky. _'Some humans believe that rain is the earth itself crying, because it is sad. If there was ever a time for the earth to feel sorrow, this would be it. Because this is just the beginning. Unless that robot is stopped, there will be more deaths.'_

Protoman finally caught up with Megaman and Bass, both of which were standing in the forest. Megaman was silent, staring at the ground and clenching a slightly shaking fist. _'I'm going to stop that robot, even if it's the last thing I do. I will not be part of needing to dig any more graves. This one time, it's not about what's right…it's about avenging Dad and Roll!'_

Bass, seeming knowing what the blue bomber was thinking, put his hand on Megaman's shoulder. "I know what you're thinking. Believe me, I want to stop him, too. But if you do it for the wrong reasons, you won't win. Isn't that what you're always telling me?" Megaman looked surprised, then smiled. Nodding, he began to walk once again. Bass followed, his mind slowing working on a plan. _'This new robot is the biggest threat I've ever heard of. If we intend to stop it, we have to start by making sure the fight takes place well away from humans, or it may harm someone…or try to use them as shields. But first, we need to come up with a way to find him.'_

"Hey Bass, maybe you should come back to Dr. Light's lab with us."

Bass jerked his head up. "You'd let me in there again? But why?"

"This robot seems to want to pick us off one by one. If we all stay together, it won't have that chance."

Protoman nodded. "You're right. We need to stick together. We've got limited options due to reduced numbers. We can't afford to lose the few of us that there still are."

Bass turned back to Megaman and nodded. "That sounds good, then. Plus, it gives us a chance to work together on a plan to stop Zero."

Megaman stopped and turned to face Bass. "Zero?"

Bass nodded again. "That's the robot's name…Zero."

Megaman gave a smile. "Good, if I'm going to intentionally go after him, I'd prefer to know his name. Zero."

Meanwhile, a shadow stood atop a building, looking over the city. A slight wind was blowing, revealing that the shadow had a cape, a large scarf or long hair. And it seemed that where its eyes should be were red glows. The figure chuckled, raising one arm that clearly had no hand. He stared at it as well as the city beyond as he spoke to himself. "Sleep well, humans. This will be your last chance for a peaceful sleep. Tomorrow, your new ruler shall make himself known. And I intend to get my rule started with a bang…or should I say…a blast!" An eerie, evil laugh then filled the night air.

* * *

**With only the three heroes left, will they be enough to stop the ever increasing threat of Zero before it's too late, or will the madman of a robot become the iron-fisted ruler of the world? To all fans of the classic series, I'm sorry. I suspect I may get some flames for the deaths that took place in this chapters, but it had to happen before the X series got started. In case you didn't realize it, ALL classic charactes will be dead before the story's end. But fear not, Roll will be seen again (but sadly, no one else). I'd explain what I mean, but it would give away an important part of the story. I will work on getting chapter seven ready, I'm not quite done writing it yet. Please R&R!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Man, I waited WAY longer than I meant to before updating this. Well, for anyone who cares, here's cahpter seven.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Megaman or Megaman X, they belong to Capcom.**

* * *

Protoman paced about the lab. He still had the most energy, so he was keeping watch while the others recharged. He stopped to lean against a wall, pushing a button by accident. A door he was unaware of opened, and his curiosity got the best of him. Entering, he walked down a flight of stairs to an underground room. It was mostly uninteresting, just lots of spare parts and some old diagrams. But in the center of the room was a pod of some sort, with a monitor near it.

Walking closer, Protoman noticed a single symbol on the pod. It was an upper case X. Protoman chuckled to himself. "So, this is where he is. X, I don't think I'll ever get to meet you face to face. I think I know how to stop this new threat. I know you can't really hear me, but I hope you'll choose to fight for justice. Please X, make this world one that Dr. Light can be proud of. Good-bye, X."

Protoman returned to the upper level, closing the door behind him. He looked over at the sleep chambers where Megaman and Bass were recharging. _'I'm sure my idea will stop this Zero. But I can't tell the others. They'd never let me do it.'_ He walked up to Megaman's pod and placed his hand on it. _'Please understand, Megaman. And please forgive me. This will be the last time we're together. Good-bye, brother.'_

Placing his shield on his back, Protoman rushed to the teleport pad. He had to go now, before something went wrong. Even now, he might already be too late.

* * *

A shadowy figure walked slowly down the street. He seemed to have no real destination, no real purpose for being in the area. Suddenly, his movement halted, and he frantically looked about. Overhead, a beam of red light passed, and he turned to follow it, moving with unbelievable speed and silence.

* * *

Protoman scanned the area. He had a lock on his target, and it was approaching fast. He turned and began to run. He was in the middle of the city, so his plan would endanger the humans here if he went through with it. He needed to get some distance between himself and them first.

* * *

The silent shadow continued its chase, never slowing for anything. As it sped past a street light, a glimpse of red and white could just barely be made out. A good distance ahead of this figure was another, moving just as quietly, but not quite as fast. A smile formed on the face of the first shadow, the look somewhat like that of a beast that is enjoying chasing its prey.

Protoman searched his scan data, looking for anywhere nearby that didn't have any humans present. He took a second to look back and saw that his target was closing in little by little. He turned his attention forward again, activating his emergency acceleration system. As he sped around a corner, his sensors started beeping. He called their results up, finding the nearby power plant. It was still in use, in fact, it was the main plant for the city. But no one was there, because robots ran the plant.

Protoman turned slightly to head for the plant. The sacrifice of the worker bots and the power generators would be a small price to pay if it meant destroying Zero. He sensors blared a warning, but he barely had time to notice it before being stuck in his back by a plasma bullet. Fortunately, his shield was still strapped on his back, so it took the blow. However, a cracking sound alerted Protoman that is was damaged and possibly useless now.

Protoman chose to shortcut his way into the plant by blasting through the perimeter fence. Doing so triggered an alarm, but the few security measures this place had were meaningless to someone of his caliber. He heard another shot and turned hard to evade it. The fact that he could hear it being fired meant Zero was too close for comfort, he had maybe a few seconds left before the red menace would be able to grab him.

Noticing a ladder for repair work on a generator, he leapt up and started climbing. Zero wasn't expecting this move, and had to stop and turn around, as he went right past the ladder. He took a flying leap, nearly twice that of Protoman, causing him to be only two rungs below the shield carrying hero.

Protoman reached the top of the ladder and dashed to the center of the sphere shaped structure. There, he stopped and turned to face the ladder, pulling out his shield. It was still in one piece, but the cracks in it implied that it couldn't stand more than one or two more hits.

Zero's jump was good, but his larger size and greater weight had slowed his climbing, so Protoman was ready by the time he got to the top. Zero was surprised to see that Protoman wasn't running anymore, and ran a scan of the area. He found no sign of traps, but cautiously took two steps forward, arming his buster again.

Protoman tightened the hold on his shield, but didn't arm his buster. _'Come on, just a little closer…'_ he thought. Zero took another step, raising his weapon. His glowing eyes showed no sign of what his thoughts were, but his actions showed that he expected a trap. He took another step, and Protoman smiled. With no warning, he dashed at Zero, his shield held out in front of him.

Zero instantly fired, breaking Protoman's shield in two. Protoman threw it away, as it was pointless to keep it now. Zero prepared to fire again, but got quite a surprise when his foe grabbed his buster and pushed his chest into it. Zero proceeded with his shot, blasting a hole through Protoman's torso. To his even greater surprise, Protoman began to laugh as his body started glowing.

"Now you've done it. I should thank you. You hit my reactor, and it's going to explode. I may be going down for the count, but I'll take you with me!" Protoman leapt at Zero, who was trying to escape. He held onto Zero by the shoulders, despite the robot's attempts to knock him loose. Protoman looked upward, and with what he knew would be his last moment, he shouted into the sky, "FOR DR. LIGHT!!" A violent eruption then took place that engulfed the generator, causing it to explode as well. As the smoke began to rise, the power all across the city began going out in a wave that started at the plant and went out from there.

* * *

As the power failed in the Light Laboratory, the sleep pods went offline. A backup generator activated, opening them so the users could get out. Megaman and Bass slowly reactivated, exiting the pods. Bass checked his energy readings and frowned. "Why did the pods shut off? I'm not at full power yet! Come to think of it, did we leave all the lights off?"

The lights came on right after he said that, causing Megaman to become more alert. "The generator just activated. I guess there's a blackout right now. I think I'll try to contact the power plant. Maybe they know what…" he trailed off, looking out a window. He could see the location of the plant through it, but what got his attention was the mushroom shaped cloud coming from there.

Bass noticed Megaman's staring, and came over to look out the window. When he saw the cloud, he froze completely. "No…it couldn't be!" He dashed off at high speed, returning to a fully confused Megaman nearly two minutes later. "I can't find Protoman anywhere!! I'm afraid he might be gone!"

Megaman showed concern due to this statement, but no panic. "So, we'll just go find him and bring him back."

"We can't! Have you forgotten…oh, wait. You weren't there. At the hospital, Protoman told us that he has a nuclear reactor!"

This time, Megaman's eyes showed nothing but panic. He turned to view the cloud once again. "That's a nuclear detonation cloud…NO! PROTOMAN!!" He spun and began to race for the teleporter, but Bass grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.

"Don't be a fool! We can't go in until the cloud disperses more. It'll fry our circuits if we go in now!" Megaman frowned and looked out the window. He clenched a fist and hit the wall.

* * *

Three beams of light entered the site of the explosion, forming into Megaman, Bass, and Treble. Megaman slowly looked around, shocked beyond compare. _'All this destruction…will this ever end?'_

Bass turned to the blue bomber. "As much as I hate to say it, I think we should split up. We need to search for anyone who may have been injured." Megaman nodded, and they walked off in opposite directions, scanning for life signs. Bass had other reasons for his suggestion, though. _'These footprints…they were made by a robot, but they're too big to be Protoman. But could Zero really survive a nuclear blast?'_

Megaman came around a corner, still scanning, when his foot kicked something. Looking down, he froze, then fell to his knees. Slowly, he picked up the object. _'No…he really is gone. Brother…'_ For the first time, Megaman looked as though he would cry, as he tightly hugged the scrap he had found. It was half of Protoman's shield.

* * *

Bass activated his dash function, rushing to where he found what looked to be a human. He got close and scanned the person's vitals. _'Dead. Too late again. Even I can't believe that Wily would make a robot that could take human lives.'_ Bass turned a corner into a street and froze. He slowly took in the sight, his knees shaking. Scattered throughout the road were countless bodies, all dead. And not just adults, some of the bodies were clearly kids. Bass slowly walked to a wrecked car, looking inside. When he did, his legs gave out and he fell to his knees. Inside lay the bodies of a mother and her baby, both dead.

Bass felt something like both anger and panic fill him. _'He killed them all…so many lives taken, so many before their time.'_ He suddenly became aware of a laugh from up ahead. Dashing forward, he rounded one last corner in time to see Zero shoot down a fleeing couple. His eyes went wide, then narrowed. Zero turned, and Bass saw that his hands were covered in blood. The red robot chuckled.

"You…HOW DARE YOU!! I've done some awful things in my life, but I NEVER raised my hand against a human!" shouted Bass.

"So what? That just proves how weak you are. Why do you care what happens to the humans? The time has come for robots to take their rightful place! We've been nothing but puppets to these pathetic humans! It's time we showed them just what we're capable of!"

"SHUT UP!! Robots may be considered lower than humans, but we owe them our lives! Without them, we wouldn't exist! I care what happens to the humans because I know my place. But you…YOU'RE JUST A MINDLESS KILLING MACHINE!!"

Treble, feeling his master's determination, began to glow. He combined himself with Bass, giving the black robot flight and extra power. Zero smiled, and stood ready. Bass armed his buster and bore down.

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**And there you have it. I'll be uploading the next chapter soon, I promise! R&R please.**


	8. Chapter 8

**OK, please enjoy chapter eight.**

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Bass checked his own scanner, but was puzzled when he got his readout.

TAEGET ONE: ZERO

SPECIALTY: NONE

ELEMENT: NONE

WEAKNESS: NONE

ALERT! VIRUS DETECTED!

Bass gritted his teeth. _'So, that's what's giving him his power. That new virus Wily made a while back. Darn, there's no anti-virus program for it yet! This isn't going to be easy.'_

Zero fired, but Bass easily evaded it. He armed the homing sniper and fired three missiles, then switched to hyper bomb, tossing two at once. He was thoroughly confused when Zero didn't move, taking all the hits at once. That was when Bass noticed it. Zero had only minor signs of it, but he was definitely damaged from the explosion earlier.

"Not quite in top shape anymore, eh?" Bass taunted. Zero growled and fired two more shots, followed by jumping into the air. Bass flew up to evade the shots, and saw his mistake too late. Zero's foot became engulfed in flames as he performed a falling kick. Bass was sent falling, his back hitting flatly on the ground. Zero laughed as he jumped on top of him.

"Not bad, eh? This really is sad, Bass. You're going all out, and even though I have some damage, I'm only using sixty-three percent of my power, and I'm still winning!"

Bass yelled while firing a charged shot into Zero's torso. But when the smoke of the impact cleared, Zero showed no damage from it. Bass could feel the panic setting in.

"Give it up, Bass! Even your super form isn't enough to stand up to my power. I'm made from much stronger metal than you, and my energy source is years worth of technology ahead of yours!"

Bass glowed, and Treble separated from him. He turned to his companion. "Treble, run! Go warn Megaman! GO!!" Treble rushed off, though he wore a sad expression, knowing this would be the last time he would see his master. Zero charged his buster and held it at point blank, aimed at Bass's face. Bass didn't even try to resist, his energy was too drained for it to do any good now. Zero laughed, and fired.

As Treble rushed along, he could hear an explosion behind him. He stopped and looked back, but then forced himself to keep going. His sensors already had a lock on Megaman, he just needed to get there as quickly as he could. But as he ran, he let out a mourning howl.

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Megaman finally set the shield piece down and stood up. He had wasted far too much time here, and Bass hadn't checked in with him, which was starting to worry him. He activated a transmitter in his helmet. "Bass? Come in, Bass." He waited several seconds, but got nothing. He tried again, and this time he got an answer, though it wasn't Bass. The voice caused him to become as stiff as a statue.

"So sorry, blue bomber. Bass can't answer you. He's too busy being dead!" The voice ended with a spine-chilling laugh, then the signal cut out. Before Megaman could react, Treble dashed around the corner, barking at him. Megaman clenched both fists, each shaking. _'Dad, sister, brother, Rush, Wily, and now Bass. Zero…I'm going to stop you, even if it has to be the last thing I ever do!'_

"Come on, Treble. See if you can link with me." Treble nodded, and attempted to merge with him. Amazingly, it worked, giving Megaman an appearance similar to Bass when using super form. He armed his buster, and scanned until he found the energy reading he knew would be Zero. As he dashed to that spot, his expression slowly changed. As he passed the streets, his eyes filled with anger. Even someone who knew him as a hero would be scared of him now, because the anger and hate showing on his face resembled the expression so often worn by Bass.

_'All these innocent people. He killed them all. No, he slaughtered them. How many more must die? I will stop this…I must stop it, not just for father and the others, but for all of humanity!'_ Megaman put the thrusters into overdrive, allowing him to move at a speed no person could hope to follow. His fists were tightly clenched and shaking. He knew his actions would almost certainly cost him his life, but he was more than willing to give it if doing so would stop this deranged murderer.

He came barreling to a stop as a plasma blast flew near him, barely missing his head. He turned in the direction it came from and found the source of all his anger and sorrow, the red menace called Zero. The red robot grinned and leapt down from the building he was atop.

"So, Megaman, what do you think of my handiwork? Glorious, isn't it?"

"WHAT?! How could you say such a thing?! You slaughtered all these innocent people, you've destroyed large parts of the city, and you've killed my family and friends! HOW CAN YOU ACT SO CRUEL?!!"

Zero started to chuckle, then broke into a full-fledged, evil filled laugh. "I don't expect you to fully understand. After all, you enjoy these humans. They look to you as their great hero. But not all of us are so lucky. In the end, humans don't care about robots. We have exceeded humans in every way possible. We are far stronger, our intellect is greater, and we never get tired the way humans do. So why should we continue to act as their slaves? It's time robots ran the show!"

Megaman was only half listening, not caring what this madman of a robot had to say. His buster was armed, and he had been charging a shot. He now proceeded to cut Zero's speech short by firing it, though the murderer jumped aside too quickly for it to hit.

"You've been the best for a long time Megaman, but I far surpass even you. Taste this!" Zero gathered energy in his hand and punched the ground. When he did this, large columns of energy burst up from multiple locations, and one struck Megaman full force. He came falling back down, glowing as he landed. He split from Treble, the damage having undone their already unstable link. Treble tried to get up, giving one last growl before his head fell to the ground, his power completely gone.

Megaman was able to rise, but not easily. His power was less than half charged, and draining faster than usual. He slid as Zero fired another plasma shot, only to be hit by the falling flame kick. As he cried out in pain, Zero laughed again. An alert flashed across Megaman's visual sensors.

WARNING! ENERGY CORE DAMAGED!

ENERGY LEVELS AT 39 AND FALLING!

DEACTIVATION IN 90 SECONDS!

Zero stood over Megaman, who lay on his chest. "I could end this now, but my scanners show you'll be dead soon enough. So, I'll let you listen as my reign begins! Listen well, Megaman. For today, you will hear many screams as I eradicate these pathetic humans!"

Megaman was barely able to notice, but indeed, the sun had started rising, and it was day now. As Zero turned and walked off, he struggled, trying to rise. As he fell again, a memory file flashed through his mind.

_Megaman woke up to the smiling face of Dr. Light. "There, that should do it. Can you feel the weapon?"_

_Megaman checked his systems. "It's similar to Astroman's weapon, but far more powerful."_

_"That's right. This weapon could be used to bury the whole city in meteors. It's a terrible thing to have, but I fear you may need it one day, and I know I can trust you to use it correctly."_

_Megaman smiled. "Of course, Dr. Light! I promise I'll use it only if I have no other option."_

Megaman tried rising once more. _'Yes, this counts as no other option. I must use that power to stop Zero. But I have to get up.'_ But try as he might, his strength was failing rapidly.

WARNING! ENERGY CORE DAMAGED!

ENERGY LEVELS AT 18.5 AND FALLING!

DEACTIVATION IN 60 SECONDS!

'_It's no use. I'm on my knees, but I can't get any further up. I'm too weak. I just can't do it…I've failed…'_ No one could be sure how it was possible, but a single drop of clear liquid made its way from Megaman's eye down his check and onto the ground. He was about to fall over again when he felt something hit him in the back of his head. He slowly looked up to see what it was, but saw only a small sphere of black light floating nearby.

"Hey, get up! What happened to the Megaman I could never beat?!"

Megaman's eyes went wide as he stared at the black orb in disbelief. Had the voice coming from it been who it sounded like? "…Bass?"

The orb pulsed, then a hologram appeared in the form of Megaman's old rival. He gave the blue bomber a disgusted look. "Yeah, it's me. Now get up! Are you going to let that robot just keep killing people? You have to stop it!"

Megaman was about to mention his damaged state when his sensors got another reading. And it was one that truly puzzled him.

ALERT CANCELED

ENERGY LEVELS HOLDING AT 16

MEGA BUSTER OFFLINE

Suddenly, two more orbs appeared, one yellow and the other red. They also formed into holograms, the yellow one becoming Roll and the red becoming Protoman. Megaman was almost positive his sensors were malfunctioning. But before anyone could speak, another eight orbs appeared, though they didn't form holograms. They shone in red, blue, green, black, purple, grey, brown, and yellow.

The blue orb now spoke up. "We've come to offer our assistance, sir!"

Megaman could hardly believe the voice was real, he hadn't heard it in years. "Iceman? Is that you? But how?"

The orb pulsed. "A true soldier never turns his back on his commanding officer, sir!"

The red orb then added, "If your fire of justice has died, then I'll re-light it for ya!"

Megaman smiled. "Fireman! Then you must all be here! Timeman, Oilman, Gutsman, Cutman, Bombman, and Elecman!" As he said the names, he turned to each orb.

"Come on bro! If your joints are too rusty, my oil will get you goin'!"

"We're all gonna lend your our power cause we know you'd do the same for us."

"We'll help you finish this at lightning speed!"

"Yes, this will be over in no time."

"Mr. Megaman, I'm real sorry about how I acted before. I want to make it up to you by helping you now!"

"Yeah, I apologize as well. Now it's time for a big bang!"

The orbs merged with Megaman, filling him with a new power he'd never before experienced. He was able to stand, his armor changing to an odd mixture of dark green and purple. He tried to hold up his hands to activate the weapon, but was short the power needed.

The holograms of Roll, Protoman, and Bass stepped forward. Roll hugged Megaman, supporting his middle. Protoman and Bass each got on one side, holding up his arms.

Roll smiled as she laid her head on Megaman's chest. "Megaman, I give you my hope."

Protoman smiled as he held Megaman's left arm high. "Brother, I give you my faith."

Bass gave his first smile free of evil as he raised up Megaman's right arm. "Friend, I give you my strength."

Megaman was overcome by a feeling he couldn't identify, power filling him beyond anything he knew to be possible. He opened his hands, and turned his attention on Zero, who was still in sight, and screamed the red menace's name.

Zero spun around, and as he saw Megaman, his eyes stopped glowing. Megaman stood, hands held high, and glowing brighter until the street was lit as though it were mid-day. Zero took a small step back as Megaman looked right at him, eyes full of fury.

"Zero! This is for everyone you killed! Feel the unparalleled force that is justice! I am more than just a robot! I am the savior of humanity! NOW DIE! ASTRO CRUSH!!"

Zero looked into the sky, and his eyes filled with fear. Meteors of unbelievable size were falling from space, heading right for the city. His sensors flashed a message he never expected to see.

WARNING! INCOMING METEORS!

CHANCES OF DEACTIVATION: 12.6

CHANCES OF SERIOUS DAMAGE: 63.2

CHANCES OF BECOMING TRAPPED: 99.9

As Zero turned and ran with a frightened scream, Megaman collapsed, and the holograms of Roll, Protoman, and Bass changed back into orbs of yellow, red, and black light. As they slowly began to leave the area, another orb, shining in blue, joined them.

Back inside the secret room in the Light Laboratory, the blue orb entered through the wall, floating up to the pod in the center of the room. It then spoke in a soft and gentle voice. "X, please forgive me for what I've done. I am sure that some humans will be harmed by my actions, but it was necessary for the future safety of all humans. X, I will leave the duty of protecting this world in your hands. Please, no matter what happens, be sure to keep fighting for justice. I know you can do it. Good-bye, Megaman X."

The orb then left the room, flying high into the sky to join the other orbs, as they sadly watched the meteors impact the city. The black orb turned to the blue one. "Something's wrong with you. I can tell. What is it?"

The blue orb sighed before answering. "I fear that X may one day need us to be there for him. I want to stay here and do what I can to help him."

The red orb turned at this comment. "If that is what you want, I'll stay too."

"Me, too." stated the yellow and black orbs in unison.

The blue orb pulsed. "Thank you. But we're all too weak as we are to stay. But…maybe we could combine our energy?"

The other orbs pulsed, and they all got close together. They slowly glowed brighter, merging into a single orb, much larger than before, and glowing with a warm, bright light.

"May we meet again someday, X. I will be waiting for when you need me."

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And so, as the years went by, the tales of Megaman slowly slipped into legends, from there to rumors, and at last, were mostly forgotten. No evidence of the city remained, buried beneath the storm of meteors. Yet time has a funny way of suddenly revealing lost secrets. Now, almost 100 years later, new cities have gone up atop the site of the old ones. But for one person, an accidental discovery will soon set in motion a new chain of events. Even now, one sign of what once was is waiting to be awakened from his century of sleep.

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**And thus ends the classic era. This story isn't finished yet, but it may be awhile before more is added. Starting next chapter, the X era begins. In the meantime, R&R please!**


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